For Nii-san
by Xiao5hu
Summary: Sasuke had always adored his brother. He would do anything for his idol... except one thing.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: This is the first fanfic I'm posting here. If it's OOC or something, bare with it I guess... Anyways, enjoy...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the Uchiha brothers. Do support Masashi Kishimoto and the official anime/manga releases.

-xxx-

He had always idolised his nii-san. Everyone knew that. The boy would hang off the older's arm. Sometimes the boy would clamber over the older and get a free piggyback. Laughter and smiles would follow the brothers as they roamed the streets. The younger brother always waited for the older one to return from his missions.

Training or playing, the boy always asked his nii-san if he was free at every chance. Sometimes, they spent time together. Nowadays, nii-san was too busy and the boy would pout as he heard his nii-san say,

"Sorry Sasuke, maybe next time."

Still, the boy persisted. Waking up early in the morning, the boy ran out of his room and towards the main door. His brother was in sight, putting on his sandals. As he ran, ready to jump onto the older child, Sasuke was immediately stopped with a jab to his forehead. Rubbing his head, the boy opened his mouth to ask.

"Nii-san, will you train me?"

His brother gave a warm smile but his reply was filled with a tone of regret.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, maybe some other time."

The boy relented and he watched his brother leave for his important mission. Sometimes, Sasuke wished he was an important mission. Maybe then his brother would spend more time with him.

There was someone who could make his nii-san smile like he did. He was his brother's friend, Shisui. Shisui was strong and could spend a lot of time with nii-san by participating the same mission. During those lonely moments when his brother and cousin were on a mission together, Sasuke wished he was strong too so he could go on missions with them. He would imagine himself covering their backs and ending the day by walking home together.

One day, his big brother returned home late. It was the night after the one where his brother and his father had a big quarrel. However, Sasuke knew the sad eyes were unrelated to the events from yesterday. Something had happened but Sasuke knew his brother would never tell him like where his secret stash of sweets was or anything about his confidential missions. Nonetheless, Sasuke could not bear to do nothing but watch his brother's depressed look. The one person who always smiled to him was sitting silently under the moonlight.

"Why aren't you in bed, Sasuke?" his older brother's voice disturbed the silence of the night.

"I was worried about you. You weren't home for dinner."

"I had a mission, Sasuke."

The boy nodded but did not move from where he stood. Instead, Sasuke stared at his brother, taking in the older sibling's beautiful appearance. His long silky black hair hung around him, framing his face. His iconic tear trough gave his young look a mature feel, matching his actual maturity.

"Sasuke…."

Sasuke's attention snapped to his brother's obsidian eyes.

"Let's go to bed."

His hand was taken and the boy was led to his room. Like the times he had nightmares, Sasuke pulled his brother into his little bed. The sad look was lightened up by the small smile that graced his nii-san's face. Sasuke wanted the sad look gone completely so he forced his brother to cuddle with him as they slept. Being the persistent child he was, Sasuke watched his brother crawled into the bed and threw the blanket over their bodies.

The next day, Shisui was announced dead. Sasuke looked at his brother but saw not a tear forming his brother's eyes. Sasuke knew his brother was not as heartless as others had said he was. Did his brother know earlier so he had already mourned for Shisui?

A group of officers accused his big brother of killing Shisui. Sasuke did not believe it. After all, they were best friends. Best friends don't go around killing each other. Plus, to Sasuke, the person he idolised would never do something as atrocious as killing his friends and family.

Then came the fateful day. Blood painted the walls and floors. Corpses covered the streets. The boy ran in worry for his own family as fear gripped his heart. He searched the house and came to the last room. His cold clammy hands cautiously slid the door open. Sasuke was frozen in the spot as he took in the scene.

His parents on the floor with pools of blood forming underneath them. His brother stood over their bodies with a bloodied sword in hand. Everything screamed that his brother had been the killer. Still, the boy had to ask.

"Father Mother are…. Who would do such a thing?"

A shuriken barely missed his head but the boy knew his brother never missed. A chase followed. Sasuke knew his brother was faster than him, easily winning in a game of tag. His brother spoke of testing his capacity. Sasuke wondered why he never tried killing the hokage. Sasuke knew there was a million chances for his brother to kill him that night but was spared for potential that no one else saw in Sasuke. Only when he was told to hate and was shown his parents' deaths repeatedly, Sasuke wondered if he was still facing that kind and loving brother he had grown up with.

 _Itachi Uchiha_. Only his name was the same between the red-eyed killer and the black-eyed brother.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: This is a short one. Well, the story itself is short... (OwO;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the Uchiha brothers. Do support Masashi Kishimoto and the official anime/manga releases.

-xxx-

Hate. That was what Sasuke was told to have. As the brother who loved and idolised Itachi, Sasuke obeyed and grew his raging hate.

Power. That was what Sasuke was told to need. To be stronger than Itachi as his idol had told him to, Sasuke turned to the snake for power.

Sasuke realised he still saw Itachi as his brother and idol. He would do anything to get his brother's attention just as he had done in their childhood. Just as Itachi wanted, Sasuke returned with hatred and power. The younger brother's skin turned grey. A black cross formed at the bridge of his nose as a pair of large wing-like hands sprouted from his back. A monster Sasuke had become but finally his brother's attention was on him. Not on Naruto or anyone else.

With a stab of a sword, Itachi took away the power of the curse mark that fed on Sasuke's hatred. Even when Itachi was the one who made him weak and stood as strong as ever, he blamed the younger one's lack of power by his lack of hatred. The side of Sasuke that still loved Itachi questioned if his brother was making an excuse to not kill him. After all, what fool let his opponent grow strong enough to kill him? Was his brother a suicidal man who yearn for a good fight?

Scrutinising the man before him, Sasuke believed otherwise. The worried feeling in the eyes that cannot lie, something only Sasuke and Shisui knew. While Itachi's actions hurt the younger sibling, Sasuke could see hurt in Itachi's eyes. If he did not want to hurt Sasuke, why does Itachi still do it?

As they part ways once more, Sasuke was left confused again. While his hatred was to grow, Sasuke saw no worth in doing so. He had hurt himself, his friends even if he often denied calling them one and his only family left. As much as he would say Itachi was no longer part of the clan, he was still his brother by blood. Plus, there was fond memory that often left Sasuke feeling rather guilty. It was as if he was betraying his brother and his younger and innocent self.

"I'll always love you, nii-san."

Just as his brother would tell him.

"I'll always protect you, Sasuke."

Unsure of what to think of his relationship with Itachi, whether to continue hating or return to his childhood adoration for his brother, Sasuke returned to what he had been doing, training and walking the path of vengeance.

Somewhere within, Sasuke remembered reading a quote; _there is a fine line between love and hate_.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the Uchiha brothers. Do support Masashi Kishimoto and the official anime/manga releases.

-xxx-

At the hideout of a massacred clan, the brothers stood facing each other. Sasuke knew from the first time he asked his brother to train him that he could never defeat his prodigy brother. Even as the man stood as pale as the moon and heavy bags under his eyes, Itachi proved a powerful foe.

Injuries piled on and it came to Sasuke's final move, Kirin. As his hand was held high above, his sharingan spinning furiously. Itachi looked ready for the grand finale.

In that short moment, two sides in Sasuke were at war; a vengeful one and a loving one. One filled with hate and the desire to avenge his fallen clan while the other believe optimistically that Itachi was still his loving brother deep within. One was built from trauma of the recent years and the other from innocence of his childhood. By the end, the result had Itachi's life on the line.

The internal war in Sasuke had ended. Death was what Itachi desired from him. But as much as Sasuke want to fulfil Itachi's wish out of obsessed adoration or pure hatred, Sasuke knew he could not bare to let his idol die. For when Itachi die, who will Sasuke obsess over?

But Kirin was coming. It was too late to stop the jutsu he had used. His innocent self acted as he would have when he was eight. He pounced onto his brother like the times when his thirteen-year-old brother had returned from his missions. Sasuke's arms were wrapped around Itachi. Even with Itachi's Susano'o took the brunt of the attack, Kirin broke through and struck the brothers. With Sasuke covering his brother, he took the most damage.

Sasuke lay limped in Itachi's arms. His breathing was ragged while his body twitched from the electrocution. Itachi was not faring any better with his heavy breathing and his wounds spilling out his blood. 'Why would you save me, foolish otouto?' was the question Itachi's rogue nin persona would asked. Instead Itachi cried out in worry and fear.

"Sasuke! Why?"

The younger sibling looked up with a smile he had not worn in years.

"I can't…. I love you… nii-san."

Sasuke grew colder as his pulse weakened. With his eyes closing, Itachi knew it was already too late. And he would follow soon. Blood spilled from his mouth, falling onto Sasuke's pale face. Itachi's body fell to the ground, his arms wrapped around Sasuke's. His senses grew numb and in his blindness, Itachi recalled a sweet moment in their childhood.

Where the ground was the soft bed in his room, the two brothers would cuddle each other. For that night, the brothers were free from nightmares, dreaming of happiness and brotherhood. That was the innocent childhood that they had yearned and saw as the happiest moments in their lives.

 _If there is such a thing like reincarnation, I wish we can be brothers again._

-xxx-

Notes: The last line is actually from post/155824772697/continuation-of-a-previous-post-sasuke-gives

Love her and her illustrations 3

Well, this is the last chapter for For Nii-san. It's short but at least it's completed... That's good, right?


End file.
